A Favor of Sorts
by welcome ghosts
Summary: “I have a favor to ask.” Seemingly innocent words from Allison Cameron's sister may end up ruining what would have been a wonderful night. [HouseCam :D]
1. The Countdown

_I'm back._ –evil grin-

Erm, anyway. Here's the sequel to _The Tendency to Remain the Same_. It's not necessary that you've read that to read this one, but everything might make a little more sense if you do. :)

I'm not quite happy with the way this chapter turned out, so any feedback will be greatly appreciated. I want to know what you guys think. Hopefully you'll enjoy it!

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately, I do not own House. I'm asking for my birthday though. ;)

* * *

The phone rang at exactly 7:12 on Saturday evening. Precisely eighteen minutes before House would arrive at Cameron's apartment to take her out to dinner.

She picked up the phone with caution, wondering if it was House calling to cancel. It had been two months since she had resumed working at Princeton Plainsboro, and they had been as close to dating as you could be with someone like House.

"Hello?" Cameron asked, speaking into the receiver that was precariously balanced between her ear and shoulder.

"Allison, it's Molly."

Cameron almost let out a sigh of relief. It was only her sister, although the reason as to why she would be calling escaped her.

"Hey, Molls," she said, struggling with the clasp of the necklace she was attempting to put on. "What's up?"

"I have a favor to ask."

_Oh no. _

Cameron involuntarily remembered the last time she had been asked to do Molly a favor. It had involved bringing her niece, Hannah, to her first day back at the hospital, along with some awkward situations.

Although she was tempted to say she was too busy to help, Cameron simply replied, "Sure, what do you need?"

"Well," her sister began, "this guy, Tim, from work asked me to dinner tonight."

"That's great, Molly!" Cameron interjected, glad that her sister was finally beginning to date again after having a daughter- not to mention an ex-boyfriend who had disappeared at the first sign of pregnancy.

"Yeah, I'm really excited," Molly continued, the happy lilt in her voice evident. "The only thing is…"

Her sister paused for a moment, leaving Cameron to wonder if she was going to ask to borrow a dress or something similar.

"Yes?" Cameron prompted, glancing nervously at the time. The clock's bright red letters read 7:14.

_Sixteen minutes._

"I don't have a babysitter," Molly said in a rush. "I'm so sorry to ask, Allison, but Jane has the flu, and it's too last minute to ask anyone else. Do you mind watching Hannah? It'll only be for maybe two hours, I'll cut the date short."

Cameron sighed. Jane's illness had been the reason for the last favor as well. But her sister had sounded so happy when she mentioned Tim's name and it had been so long since her older sister had been out with _anyone_, that it was the least Cameron could do to watch her niece for the night.

_I'll just have to cancel on House. _

"That's fine, Molly. I can do it."

"Really? Oh, Ally, thank you so much! You're not busy tonight? I thought you and House might be going somewhere."

"Nope," Cameron lied, "I'm totally free."

"That's wonderful! I'll bring Hannah over in a few."

"Alright, that'd be fine. Bye, Molly."

"Bye!"

The telltale click of the receiver reached Cameron's ears, and she set the phone down sharply on the dresser.

When she glanced around, the time glared at her from her nightstand, the mere fourteen minutes remaining until House arrived seeming to mock her.

_I'll just call him and tell him that something came up. An emergency._

Cameron grimaced slightly as she paced back and forth in her bedroom. 'Something came up' sounded lame even in her own mind.

One thing was for sure, she needed to change out of the bottle-green dress she was wearing. If Cameron still had it own when Molly dropped off Hannah, it would be painfully obvious that she had been lying about being free.

She pulled on the first outfit she could find from her closet and quickly unfastened the necklace that had taken forever to clasp.

_Ten minutes._

Molly would be here soon, Cameron knew. Her sister lived barely five minutes away.

_I need to call House now, or else he'll already have left._

Cameron made to move towards the phone, but changed her mind at the last minute, deciding the impending call could wait a few more moments. Instead, she opted to make her way to her living room so she could wait her Molly.

Unfortunately, there was a clock in that room of her apartment too, one with large black hands that Cameron could easily read.

_Nine minutes._

Sighing resignedly, Cameron reached for the phone hanging on the wall. She had dialed the first four digits in House's number when she heard the unmistakable cry of a child.

_Hannah._

Cameron set down the phone and stood to answer the door. As she walked towards it, loud pounding – presumably from the chubby fist of a toddler – reached her ears.

"Coming," she called as she turned the doorknob.

"Awwy!" came the delighted shriek, as Cameron's now three-year-old niece rocketed past her into the apartment.

"Hey, Allison," Molly said, appearing in the doorway in Hannah's wake. "I'm sorry for dumping her on you at the last minute."

Cameron smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's not like I had anything better to do tonight."

"Well, in any case, thanks," Molly said, returning the grin.

"You're welcome. Have fun on your date," Cameron replied, attempting to look nonchalantly past her sister for any sign of House.

"Bye, be good, Hannah!" Molly called as she turned and walked back down the stairs.

Cameron waved half-heartedly as she stepped back into her apartment. She closed the door behind her and leaned against the hard wood, gradually sliding down it until she was seated on the floor.

The clock in front of her read 7:28.

_Two minutes._

She groaned. _Well, no use in calling him now. He'll be here any minute._

"Why're you down here, Awwy?" Hannah's voice jerked Cameron out of her thoughts.

"Just waiting," Cameron answered.

"For what?"

"For my friend."

_One minute._

"Are they coming over to play, too?"

Cameron laughed softly. "Sort of."

"Okay," Hannah said with finality, content with the answers she had received. "Let's play a game."

"All right, which one do you want to play?"

"Hide and seek!"

"My favorite," Cameron told Hannah. "You hide first, okay?"

"Don't peek!" Hannah warned sternly, and then rushed off to hide somewhere.

"One. Two. Three." Cameron counted loud enough for Hannah to hear, wherever she was in the small apartment, and then paused to look at the clock for the last time.

It was exactly 7:30.

_No minutes_, Cameron thought ruefully.

Sure enough, moments later, the familiar sound of a cane beating against wood filled the room.

_Of course, he picks tonight to be right on time._

Cameron stood up from her position on the floor, not having moved during her conversation with Hannah. She revolved on the spot to open the door, bracing herself for what was to follow, and all the while silently cursing Jane-the-babysitter's weak immune system.

* * *

**A/N**: So, did you like it? Review and let me know! And while you wait for an update, if you haven't already, go read _The Tendency to Remain the Same_. :D 


	2. The Rules of Hide and Seek

-waves- Here's chapter two, _finally! _It's a bit short, but I hope you like it. And don't forget to review; I love getting feedback from readers. Oh, I'll try to have chapter three up soon:D

Disclaimer: I don't own House. Shocking, right? ;) I do own Hannah, though.

* * *

Cameron didn't move at the sound of the knock. She merely remained seated on the floor, wishing that she could call her sister back right now so she wouldn't have to watch Hannah. Or at the very least, that House would just leave, letting her avoid an explanation. 

_What am I going to do? House doesn't like kids – last time he saw Hannah, he made her say vicodin. What _am_ I going to do?_

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

House's cane hit the apartment door again, reminding Cameron that she needed to do something quickly. He obviously wasn't just going to leave. Steeling herself for what was undoubtedly going to be an awkward situation, Cameron stood up and turned to face the door. Sighing heavily, she turned the lock and opened the door wide.

"Hello, House," Cameron said as soon as he came into view.

He nodded to her by way of greeting. "Not quite the attire I had in mind," House said, his blue eyes staring at Cameron's rumpled shirt and jeans.

"No, I guess not." She looked at him; in sharp contrast to her quickly thrown on clothes, he was wearing a sports coat and nice pants. Although, true to form, a band t-shirt was clearly visible underneath his jacket.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to explain what was going on. _Well,_ _it's now or never, _she thought, the age-old adage springing to mind.

"There's been a slight change of plans," she said.

"Is that so?"

"Well, you remember me talking about Molly, my older sister, right?"

"The one with the midget you brought to work?"

"Hannah, yes. Anyway, she was asked on a date tonight, and it's been so long since she's sounded so happy on the phone that I-" Cameron stopped abruptly.

It was at that moment the sound of the soft patter of feet on carpet reached her ears. She looked toward the source of the noise, and found herself staring at her niece, whose face was the epitome of three-year-old petulance.

"Awwy!" Hannah pouted, looking at her aunt through narrowed eyes. "You didn't coming seeking. When I'm the hider, you have to come find me! That's the rules."

"Honestly, Cameron," House said from the doorway, a look of exasperation to rival Hannah's on his face. "What were you thinking? Don't you know how to play Hide and Seek?"

Cameron fought the urge to roll her eyes at him, instead looking at her niece. "I'm sorry, Hannah. I guess I've forgotten how to play. Do you want to try again?"

Hannah nodded at first, all annoyance forgotten, but then stopped when she spotted House, still leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"Hi, Mr. Stick," she called brightly, no longer thinking of Hide and Seek.

"It's a cane." He turned to Cameron. "Haven't you taught her anything since the last time I saw her?"

Cameron shot House a look, but Hannah didn't notice or understand the comment and merely walked closer to the two.

"This is…" Cameron began, searching for a name for Hannah to call House by. She couldn't remember whether Hannah had called him anything when they were at Princeton Plainsboro. _Greg? Dr. House? _Mr._ House? No, those sound unnatural. I guess I'll go with the familiar. _"This is my - my friend, House"

"I live in a house," Hannah said, smiling at him.

"Good for you," he quipped.

"Hannah," Cameron cut in. "Why don't you go hide again. House and I will come looking in a minute."

"Okay!" She promptly turned and hurried off to another room in the apartment. _Now to explain..._

"I take it your sister dumped the kid on you?" House asked before she could start talking.

"She didn't dump her on me," Cameron said indignantly. "Molly's going on a date, and I offered to watch Hannah for her."

"Without bothering to tell me that you're cancelling our plans?"

"It was really last minute, House. I'm so sorry. It's only for two hours, or so."

"Two hours too long," he said. "I'm headed back to my place. As much as I love whining brats and Barney, a stripper sounds like more fun."

_He can't be serious… _"Hannah's not that bad, House. We can order a pizza, or something, and Hannah will be asleep pretty soon, so we won't be babysitting for too long.

He didn't say anything at first, and simply stared at Cameron.

"Please?" Cameron offered finally.

House smirked. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll stay. But I want Chinese food, not pizza. And next Friday, I get to choose where we go, and no sniveling three year olds allowed."

Cameron sighed. "Sure." _I know I'm going to regret this; he'll probably take me to a strip club, or something._

"Alright, then. Now, we need to go to your bedroom."

"_What?_"

"That's where the kid is, obviously," House said with a tone of feigned exasperation. He brushed past Cameron and led the way to the room. "And I'm beginning to think she's right, Cameron," he called back to her. "You're a horrible seeker. Better stick to making coffee and answering letters."

Cameron scoffed, and then rather reluctantly, followed House to where Hannah was hiding.

_Maybe I shouldn't have asked him to stay_, she thought with a slight smile. _Well, at the very least, it'll be an interesting night._


	3. Macaroni and Cheese

After some inspiration I thought I would never get, here's the last chapter. Please review, if you don't mind, and check my author's page for a new story hopefully coming soon. Enjoy! )

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. ;)

* * *

House found Hannah first. She was strategically hidden behind the bed.

"Nice hiding spot," House said sarcastically, but it was lost on Hannah.

"Thanks," she said brightly. "It took you an hour to find me, I think."

Cameron laughed and walked over to them. "Do you want to play again?"

"Nope. I'm hungry," Hannah announced. "I want mac and cheese."

Cameron glanced at the clock. It was 7:45, which she knew was late for Hannah to eat dinner, so it was no shock she was hungry.

"Okay, let's go see if we have any."

Hannah led the way into her aunt's kitchen, pulling open the cabinet door. Luckily, there were three boxes of macaroni lined up right in front of the cereal.

"You don't have the Spongebob kind?" It was House.

"Sorry to disappoint," she said, a smile tugging at her lips.

Cameron bustled about the kitchen, making the macaroni as quickly as she could. She hadn't noticed she was so hungry, and though she knew she was probably too old for it, the cheesy pasta sounded appetizing.

When it was finished, the three of them sat at Cameron's small kitchen table. _I can't believe House is eating macaroni without complaining,_ she thought.

When they were finished with dinner, Hannah helped Cameron wash dishes with the enthusiasm only a three year old can have. House, on the other hand, didn't help. He merely stood behind them, occasionally commenting on Cameron's lack of skill at scrubbing dishes.

This was followed by a few more rounds of hide-and-seek, which ended at 8:45 when Hannah fell fast asleep on Cameron's bed. Cameron didn't want to disturb her niece and left her on the bed after bringing in a few blankets. Then, House and Cameron were officially free to do whatever they wanted. "Want to watch TV?" she asked once they were back in her living room.

"Only if I'm in charge of the remote," House said. He sat down on Cameron's couch and switched on the television, immediately changing it to a sports channel. Cameron somehow managed to make it through a basketball game and the follow-up sports talk show, intermittently getting up to check on Hannah. By the time that was over, it was nearing 11.

Cameron sighed. "Molly was supposed to be home ages ago. I wonder why she hasn't called."

House merely shrugged and changed the TV to General Hospital.

Cameron, who was sitting next to House on the couch, attempted to grab the remote, but House picked up his cane and lightly poked her with it.

"Mine," he said. _I knew I'd regret giving him the remote._

"What channel plays soap operas this late at night?" Cameron asked with some level of astonishment.

"Channels that appreciate the value of completely unbelievable plots and melodramatic writing."

"I see."

Cameron fell asleep halfway through the episode, just as some nurse or other discovered that her long lost son was one of the patients who needed a liver transplant within the next twenty-four hours.

"Like that would ever happen," House said. "Who would want to sleep with a nurse who looked like that? No way would she have a son."

"Mmm," Cameron muttered, her eyelids fluttering shut. She tentatively leaned against House, and when he didn't seem to mind, she promptly fell asleep.

The sound of someone knocking on the door woke her finally. She sat up beside House, who was still watching General Hospital.

"About time your sister came home," he said.

Cameron looked at the clock; it was midnight, even though Molly had promised to be home by 9:30.

She moved to the door, and pulled it open. When she saw her sister in the doorway, she remembered that House was still there. _I told Molly I hadn't made plans…_

"Hi, Al," Molly said. "Sorry I'm late; was Hannah okay?"

"She was an angel," Cameron said. "She's sleeping in my room; I'll go get her."

Cameron returned quickly with Hannah fast asleep in her arms. "She's dead asleep," she whispered.

"You said you didn't have plans!" Molly accused, taking Hannah from her sister and looking to where House was still sitting on the couch.

"They weren't important," Cameron explained. "Besides, you sounded so excited."

"I owe you, then," Molly said, and from the flush on her cheeks and sparkling eyes, Cameron could tell her sister didn't regret going on her date.

"It's fine," Cameron said. "I'll see you and Hannah soon, okay?"

"Okay." Molly smiled and turned to leave. "Bye."

"Bye," Cameron called as she closed the door behind them.

She heard House coming before she turned around, the soft thud of his cane on the carpet giving him away.

"I'm sorry I ruined our date," she said as he moved to stand next to her.

"It wasn't ruined. I am slightly upset, though."

"Upset?" Cameron asked, not expecting that to be his response. "Why?"

"I couldn't do this in front of the kid."

Before Cameron realized what was going on, House leaned down and kissed her.

Although they had been in their quasi-relationship for a while now, every time he did that, she still felt her stomach flip over and her breath catch.

House broke away gently, and turned to leave. He opened the door before saying, "See you Monday. Don't be late."

"I never am," Cameron replied, smiling at him.

"Oh, and next time, instead of hide and seek, we play Clue," he said, pausing in the doorway. "I have a thing for Miss Scarlet."

And then he was gone. Cameron turned and walked towards her room to sleep, her hand gently touching her lips, his kiss still lingering.

_Maybe occasionally doing a favor for Molly isn't so bad after all. _


End file.
